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Exeter Chiefs

15 Josh Hodge
14 Olly Woodburn
13 Ian Whitten
12 Tom Hendrickson
11 Tom O’Flaherty
10 Joe Simmonds
9 Sam Maunder
1 Alec Hepburn
2 Jack Innard
3 Patrick Schickerling
4 Jannes Kirsten
5 Daffyd Jenkins
6 Sam Skinner
7 Don Armand
8 Richard Capstick

16 Jack Yeandle
17 Billy Keast
18 Marcus Street
19 Lewis Pearson
20 Santiago Grondona
21 Jack Maunder
22 Harvey Skinner
23 Facundo Cordero

Newcastle Falcons

15 Mike Brown,
14 Tom Penny,
13 George Wacokecoke,
12 Matias Orlando,
11 Nathan Earle,
10 Will Haydon-Wood,
9 Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti;
1 Adam Brocklebank,
2 George McGuigan,
3 Trevor Davison,
4 Greg Peterson,
5 Sean Robinson,
6 Will Welch (captain),
7 Connor Collett,
8 Callum Chick.

Replacements:

16 Jamie Blamire,
17 Conrad Cade,
18 Mark Tampin,
19 Rob Farrar,
20 Josh Basham,
21 Joel Hodgson,
22 Luther Burrell,
23 Adam Radwan

Match Officials

Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant Referees: Dan Jones & Wayne Falla.
TMO: Claire Hodnett.
Citing Officer: John Byett

Weather as at 1200 Friday
Gusty winds from the west south west and light rain showers

Temperature 6 degrees but feels like 3 degrees

Rain likely

Television Coverage from 2.00 pm

Channel 408 BT Sport 1 SD
Channel 430 BT Sport 1 HD

Interesting looking team. Really hopeful of a win!! Falcons bench looks strong though. Some interesting absentees. Ewers Gray Hogg. O Brien obviously not really in favour methinks.

Falcons 15 Chiefs 33

Firstly thanks for the honourable mention last week 😀
A decent looking side, sticking much to what’s worked over the last two weeks. l think the weather is going to play a big factor in this and all other matches this weekend.
From a Scottish perspective much as l expected using Sam Skinner, while leaving Gray and Hogg out, think they’ve picked up knock’s in the 6N and it allows them to be ready for 🇫🇷 next weekend 😃
SHC didn’t last long!!

Falcons 15 - 26 Chiefs

We are Exeter, We are Chiefs



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:02:18:13:51:42 by Scottish Chief.

Weather may be a factor but I also think the ref varies allot in his decisions through the match so that may be a factor. Although we lost at Sandy Park I am fairly confident of a win but we really need five points. Bemused that Whitts is starting again - I assume Devoto still injured. O'Brien must be thinking of leaving with so little opportunity. Newcastle 17 Chiefs 27 as a BP win important before the next crucial match v Saints.

Newcastle 15 Chiefs 23

Falcons 15 - 27 Chiefs

Geordie side looks useful but think we're got the edge on this occasion.

Newcastle 25 Chiefs 30.

tough game up their in the wind. Newcastle 16 chiefs 31

Newcastle 17-25Exe but I could be wrong

Looks like faith has been restored ... really hope it continues.
Falcons 10: Chiefs 30

In Rob we trust.
By the way - cream on first. There's nothing to debate.

Again a very inexperienced side and if we get any points I will be pleased, will be a good challenge for the younger players. Biggest test for this group yet as this week playing away without the massive home support to carry them plus the dreadful plastic surface. Would like to see Grondona at 8 far more natural in that position rather than Capstick, whose strength is flanker.

On another point Rob said in his weekly update 29 Dec he hoped in a couple weeks to share the squad make up with supporters for next season, the silence is deafening, perhaps there has been difficult conversations with existing / new players ?

Weather and plastic pitch will influence result (obviously) so Exeter 28 - 13 Newcastle

If the guys continue to blend, we should hopefully win but can never be to certain, Newcastle are a better team than their league position shows.
Front rows are the big play area. Newcastle 15- Chiefs 22

Newcastle 18 Chiefs 25

Falcons 21 - Chiefs 28

Newcastle 27 - 29 Exeter

Newcastle 13 Chiefs 24

Am going for the draw, weather doesn't look too wonderful , so 15-15

22-29 to Exe

Chiefs 19 Falcons15



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:02:20:09:52:03 by Currychef.

Really not sure on this one! Heart says we carry on recent improvements and pick up the win. Head says it's horrible conditions on a horrible pitch and we'll probably lose!
Don't see a high scoring game, I'm going for Newcastle 18 Chiefs 12

Really need a bonus point win. The usually pessimistic Mrs PC thinks we will manage it 27 - 22.
I think we will fall just short of a bonus point 22 - 15.
Going to be a really close game seems to be the general consensus.

at this moment in time we have the best defence in the league, but have almost 200 points for less than saracens and only about 40 more than Wuss who have only won 4 games.






Eat your counties farmscape, season by season

This is a very tough fixture.
A long journey, likely awful conditions and the plastic pitch make this a really awkward fixture for us.
I am confident that we will give it a good go but not confident that we can get a win up there.
Really fearful of the Falcons maul,hope Skins and Jannes can disrupt it but I remember the damage it did to us at Sandy Park.
Looking forward to watching our younger players in action again to see how they respond to this test on the road.

chiefs 30 - 15 newcastle

More confident now knowing Will Welch is out for Falcons. He is normally a right pain in our #rse!
A big miss for them

Why did Josh Hodge not have an HIA?

Quote:

plymptonchief
Why did Josh Hodge not have an HIA?

Agree. Any head contact in tackle should be instant HIA. No choice for player, referee or club dr to over-rule

Is anyone else having quality issues with BT sport? Frequent loss of sound and pixelation ... not that the pundits have much to add, but I do miss the crowd noise.

In Rob we trust.
By the way - cream on first. There's nothing to debate.

Hodge subbed halftime

In Rob we trust.
By the way - cream on first. There's nothing to debate.

And now Jannes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lineouts are killing us! They're shocking.

In Rob we trust.
By the way - cream on first. There's nothing to debate.

Win or lose we need to change

All due respect to Falcons defence (with 14) however

Line out appalling

Decision making appalling …. What is Joe doing…70 minutes in 3 men over out wide and we truck it up via Jack Y…one of many poor decisions

The Rob B policy of never kick points also needs reviewing … actually better we keep losing so we have to change

I agree with Austin H - we consistently let our own tyres down….

RIP Steve Black

Oh the irony a kick to settle it?

Tactically very inept, agree about Joe, some terrible decision making, a man advantage for most of the game and we stick it up the forwards shirts every time !!! That was so poor compared to the last few weeks.

Fair play MOM to the losing team…….tells you everything really

Only balance is we’ve had good performances and lost …..that was defo the opposite …I’d like to say we’ll learn, let’s hope so
Capstick is a future captain though ….

14-15 ... With possession and territory we should have been home and dry at halftime. Very disappointed, but it has to be said, Falcons put in a massive shift in defence, so all credit to them.

In Rob we trust.
By the way - cream on first. There's nothing to debate.

It’s an away win and 4pts to take home.
Given the fact we played against 14 for 55min, the winning margin ought to have been a lot more. Falcons defended well and pushed us all the way.

We are Exeter, We are Chiefs



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:02:20:16:57:10 by Scottish Chief.

We didn’t deserve to win that, just how many line outs did we lose, close to a dozen. But we deserved to win against Wasps 2 weeks ago and lost by the odd point, so maybe evens things up a bit. But lots of questions that need answering, and against 14 men for 55 minutes. It all started to start going wrong in the first few minutes when we had an attacking line out which we lost. It all went downhill from that moment.

I don't think it's RB's policy to ignore kicks for goals. the players are empowered to play what they see in front of them. Problem is with on field leadership. Joe S not the right man but who is?

Firstly well played Newcastle.
They kept themselves in the match with some fantastic defence but we didn't make it difficult enough for them.
In our team there are clearly players that don't deserve a place in the team/squad still playing regularly imo and potentially holding others back.
I feel Robs loyalty to some might cost us losing some players.
The policy of playing 2 inside centres at centre does my head in and killed our attack today.
We lack any sort of creativity or vision.
The lack of a kick through or kick pass was our undoing when we had so much ball and no defensive winger out wide for them. It was crying out for a grubber but nothing was forthcoming.
Instead we tried long floaty passes in a gale and rain?!
So so dull.....
Having said that I would have settled for a 1 point win before the game but that game like so much of this season was frustrating and even the win was underwhelming.
This season summed up in one game.

Mr Richards very critical of the officials. Complaining of not straight lineouts! Trying to defend the red card! Terrible to see, and very glad Mr Baxter doesn't take that line!

In Rob we trust.
By the way - cream on first. There's nothing to debate.

Makes you wonder if JS lacks confidence with kicks, Rob always believed in keeping the board ticking, and does leave it to the team when on the pitch. But playing 8 man rugby against a team with 14 is senseless.

Life still in the league yet.

Falcons did defend well but we played the game where they had all their defenders !!! I was disappointed with both our 9 and 10, neither of whom took control of the game and made poor decisions at critical times. It’s a must win, but wow, terrible performance.

Quote:

clalan
Makes you wonder if JS lacks confidence with kicks, Rob always believed in keeping the board ticking, and does leave it to the team when on the pitch.

Do we have an alternative kicker in Henry's absence?

Quote:

plymptonchief
I don't think it's RB's policy to ignore kicks for goals. the players are empowered to play what they see in front of them. Problem is with on field leadership. Joe S not the right man but who is?

RB did say in commentary a couple of weeks ago that he had given the game away sayin* the policy for the rest of the season was to keep kicking to the corner….

But I take your point the players have a role to play…

If Alex Ferguson was head coach at Exeter, he would have Jack Innard and Jack Yeandle report at Sandy Park at 8am every day next week, whatever the weather, and complete two hours non-stop practice at throwing the ball straight at line-out time. The current regime is too soft..

Then he would scour rugby clubs throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands, in search of a premiership-class scrum-half who is immediately available on loan - what ever the cost.

Sir Alex would have approved of Newcastle`s Director of Rugby Dean Richards, though. Richards spent almost his entire after-match TV interview slagging off the referee.

Deja vu, Ferguson would have thought.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:02:20:17:37:53 by cricketjerry-mouse.

Whilst Dean Richards is entitled to his opinion he needs to keep it in check a bit otherwise it’s exactly like football with managers constantly complaining about referees. I am sure the RFU will look at it.

IMO an excellent result today after playing so poorly.

Issues for me

1. The line out has been an issue for us for a few seasons, what are the coaches doing about it

2. I agree Joe S is not the correct captain, he needs to work on his own game. I don’t have the solution.

3. People say Sam Maunder is the future for us as a scrum half, after watching him this season I must be missing something.

4. The youngsters are getting game time but they don’t seam to be improving.

a premiership-class scrum-half who is immediately available on loan - what ever the cost.

That would, imo, be a huge waste of money. JM is massively underrated, as Nowell said, he is a leader on and off the pitch and he brings control to our game and he has a very good rugby brain. Sam Maunder is only just 21 and will improve in time. I would make Jack Maunder captain, he captained England at all age grades and with regards to giving kicking duties to someone else, Hodge would be the obvious answer, he is an incredible kicker, I understand he never missed a single kick all the way through University !!

That was a pretty poor performance, but a win is a win.
I agree with Zyder about our back line. Hendrickson and Whitten have estimable qualities but, as I have said many times on various threads, guile and subtlety are not amongst them. Picking the door lock rather than knocking the door down is a perfectly valid option.
I am also trending to the view that Jack Walsh deserves a go at 10, where I understand Steeno favours him over Joe.
As to goal kicking I also understand Josh Hodge is a bit of a wizz.
After waiting a year I was very disappointed by Marcus Street in the two recent matches. He collapsed like Harry Williams on a bad day. Schickerling is to my mind so clearly the leading TH at Exe, I hope he can keep his form going.

Firstly I think we need to put in perspective the strength of the respective teams and conditions today for that dreadful spectacle, it was always going to be easier to play with 14 in weather like that.

I do not in any way accept we did not deserve to win when the opposition other than an interception entered our 22 3 times in the whole match. Not managing the game in any way was our downfall in points scored, leadership and decision making very poor.

Dean Richards should be ashamed of his comments about the red card, the player had made his mind up to wipe out Hodge whether he caught it or not and could easily done some serious damage. The Kirsten incident is also interesting as it was given as a penalty where the players head hits K, why did he not tackle lower so that his head could not simultaneously hit K. We lose a player with an HIA for foul play no card ?

Our line out calls at times crazy, very little variety and totally outplayed, good that our scrum held up v well.

In terms of performance I have yet to see Sam M play well and that is his second interception in a few games, dreadful execution poor technique and certainly not yet at the level needed for prem rugby. I’m afraid it was Joe well below his best today lacking control of the game, vision and skill set. A game where the opposition never really looked dangerous just take the points build a big lead, where Newcastle would have to run it and take risks, so simple to do.
We cannot forget if we had our full squad fit and available only 2 of the 15 starters would have played, so will allow some slack in the performance. We are down to bare bones in some positions.

A game to forget quickly from a spectator point of view but another 80m for some of our younger players and they will learn from it. However play like that next week we will get our asses kicked big time.
Bright spots performance of Shickerling, with good bits from TOF, Don and Hodge.

A disappointing performance but managed to sneak the win in the end. Hopefully the lacklustre display gives the players the players some impetus for a massive game at Saints next week. BT Sport commentators / pundits keep droning on about we're not the team we were and the mojo is gone..... but they never mention the 8 internationals who are out and a long injury list. Despite today's performance we end the weekend in 5th and only two points off the playoffs. Season still very much alive and if we can stay in touch through the rest of the 6N period then it will be fun to have an away playoff trip for a change!

A bog standard performance and the result went for us, to me some players looked out of their depth, no plan and certainly missed Ewers ,Hill and Hogg to say the least. slade and devoto a real miss in the centre having said that we sit 5th. still in the champions cup so credit to these players who will blend in eventually to make Exeter chiefs a top side.

Whilst that was a truly awful performance we do need to keep some perspective. Of our 7 losses 5 have been by a combined total of 10 points and only 2 have been what one might call convincing losses.

Given the personnel missing in the aftermath of the Lions, injuries, the Autumn Internationals and now the 6 nations we have done remarkably well to still be in touch with the playoffs IMO.

We do however have to start playing more intelligently.

The pick and drive doesn't work most of the time whereas we were getting rewards from the scrum so why not take the 5m scrums from the penalties and either tie in the opposition forwards or try to shove them over the line with the consequent likelihood of a Penalty try, yellow card, or both.

Throwing in long in those conditions was simply stupid whereas we didn't try a single peel around the front.

We had two kicks through at most despite the fact that we were going to and fro across the pitch with our passing moves and usually going backwards rather than forwards.

It has been claimed on here that we play to a script. If today's game was played to a script then that script isn't working and it needs changing otherwise we will start to lose by substantial margins and the end of the season will be as bad as the more pessimistic among us fear.

Women's team put on a performance but can't get the result. Men's team can't perform but scrabble the result. Very relieved to get the win ultimately and glad that we were smart enough to kick for goal at the end this time around.

If Moony, Kirsten and Hodge are out for any period for RTP protocols, then the next couple of matches are definitely going to be an issue.

I find it extraordinary that Deano would not accept Chicks tackle as a red. There could very easily have been a second one on Kirsten and I suspect that if Chick hadn't already gone that may well have been given. We definitely missed both Hodge and Kirsten, so undoubtedly got the worst of those exchanges.

But the onfield decision making was very poor. With the territory and possession and a one man advantage we should have had a 20 point margin or more.

Very well played Falcolns though. Outstanding defence and a very gutsy performance. McGuigan was a good call for motm.

Acoording to Baxter Gray out injured next 7/8 weeks so won’t have him available for most of the remainder of the season - you could not make it up our injury list !!!

A team is only is only as good as the sum of its parts - CLICHE! ....but true. Whilst we were king pins the links were unbreakable and our 9/10 were generally faultless in their game management and were underrated by some with their contribution.
Today, and not for the first time this season, they seemed confused. No grabbing the initiative, no playing with heads up, even v 14. Just same old and trust the system. Ok, there were of course many other parts of the system malfunctioning, I accept that.
Look:at struggling Prem teams like Bath, Worc & Falcons. They lose most weeks, are swimming against the tide mostly, yet their 9/10’s (Spencer/Bailey; Simpson/Smith; both double barrelled today!) offer some hope and inspiration each and every week. Not sure that any combination of SM, JM, SH-C & JS, HS would be a coup for any of these strugglers.

Some perspective needed on here. Terrible conditions, horrible pitch and, despite my prediction, we won with a squad of players who would hardly be described as first choice. We've not been able to field a consistent side all season. Losing Hodge and Kirsten didn't help!
Yes we've played much much better. Tactics could have been better but let's be honest if our lineout functioned at all we could have won that game by a distance. Newcastle created very little all game.
An away win is an away win and I'd take that next week if offered.

Dean Richards comments not what we want in Rugby.

Clalan maintains his lead by dint of correctly predicting the result and being within 1 point of Falcons' points scored. Bold Eagle and Cornwall Chief and continue their good form but BE moves one point ahead. Good close chasing field with seven predictors with 30 or more points. A good few get 3 points for the result and proximity to Falcons' score. We were all too optimistic about Chiefs' score!!
37 Points: Clalan
36 Points: Bold Eagle
35 Points: Cornwall Chief
34 Points: Mike the Shirt
32 Points: Mrs PC; Osmium
30 Points: Fisher
28 Points: Chief Firewater; DumnoniiNomad; Ex 58
27 Points: Plympton Chief; Ouch That Hurts; Curry Chief
26 Points: ExTeddChief; The Stoke Canon; Thomas Hawk
24 Points: Big Chief Little Chief
20 Points: Last of the Beercans
21 Points: Keithbar54
17 Points: Exeterfan
10 Points: Father Alice

No Internet so listened on radio Devon. John and Nigel - commentary and Chiefs stalwarts - very disappointed and a hard listen - must have been harder to watch it. How did we win? Read all the comments. Long passes, long lineout throws, no five meter scrums when lineouts so non functional, no use out wide with Newcastle to 14 men. I think that we do not have a rugby brain on the pitch who is listened to and says what needs to happen. Without that when plan A is broken by players form or conditions nothing changes. I cannot understand some of the selections Rob makes in the centres - IMO Whitts should not be starting. The next two games critical to any chance of the top four - who will be the last man standing and fit in our team for these games and will we get any points? BUT as Big Chief Little Chief said we DID win and that was a 100% red card and bloodmouth Deano is experienced enough to know it when he sleeps on it and reflects on his speech. A variable performance by Mr Ridley and Co judging by the commentary.

That’s at least 3 of us that wonder about the selections at centre. I understand Ian Ws strengths, but they are mainly defensive these days. In attack he is a bit of a blunt instrument.
By all accounts he is the most enthusiastic competitor and trains ferociously, which together with his durability makes him Mr Reliable. However, there is no creativity when he is paired with another similar player like Hendrickson or Devoto. Sooo…in my view another approach is required, which means a different style of player. That may be O’Brien, or possibly Wyatt, or A N Other. That’s what the Coaches get paid for!

If they kept 15 on the field I reckon we would have lost. They tackled like demons and attacked our lineout and we didnt have the answer. Rob has got some serious decisions to make now if we are to get anywhere near past seasons efforts.

Like a lot of teams who lose a player, the remaining 14 up their game!

We don't seem to be able to transition from the forwards attacking 5m out to spreading the ball to the backs. It all comes down to on-field leadership with the 9 and 10 needing to impose some discipline on the games structure.
We also need someone to BOSS the lineouts to eradicate the shambles we saw against Falcons.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022:02:22:12:46:12 by plymptonchief.

Quins, Tigers and others rely on kick passes a lot to quickly move the ball from the forwards to a winger. We rarely seem to do so but I suspect that on Sunday that would have been incredibly difficult to judge with the strength of the wind. What sort of annoyed me more was that we kept going to the blindside of rucks which narrowed the attack too much, probably making it easier to defend and harder to quickly spread it wide (in the unlikely event the forwards gave it up). Maybe there needs to be a club rule .................. say, 5 pick and go's then spread it.

Quote:

Sandy Parker
If they kept 15 on the field I reckon we would have lost. They tackled like demons and attacked our lineout and we didnt have the answer. Rob has got some serious decisions to make now if we are to get anywhere near past seasons efforts.

We were still well on top before they were down to 14, so not sure why you think we would have lost. A lot of sides in all sports struggle for some reason, when playing against a man down. The big decisions RB has to make depend on who he has available!

Well, losing probably their best player for a start. On top yes but threatening? Nope.
Decisions meaning on the field ones. Does Joe play strictly to orders or has he some flexibility to play what he see's? Don't know but felt like the former.

Always good to hear Robs view on things.